This drug dealer once burned $2M to save his daughter from cold while they were hiding

Who is Pablo Escobar and how did his reign as “Kingpin” of the Colombian Drug Trade has changed his country and the world?

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria or “Pablo Escobar” was once considered as the “King of coke” because of his massive engagements in the illegal drug trade in the American Market and in many parts of the world.

According to the report conducted by UK Crime and Investigation Unit, Escobar ruled the Colombian cocaine trade for an about twenty years, until he was shot dead in a rooftop gunfight in December 1993. During his reign, he founded the ‘Medellin Cartel’ with the collaboration of other notorious criminals in order to infiltrate the market in the United States. Their group was said to have monopolized the cocaine smuggling business in the US, dealing over 80% of the total smuggled drug in the said country.

In a separate research conducted by the National Geographic, he has fought to preserve his power and control in his drug trafficking empire through brutal tactics like bribery, political assassinations, mass murder, and surprisingly, giving or offering charity to the poor people of his country (more likely the “Tondo Kingpin” Asiong Salonga, but Asiong wasn’t on drugs anyway). He also managed to create his own empire (of course) by hiring or teaming with the top agents of his time. They are John Jairo Velásquez, which was considered as Escobar’s ‘Hit man,’ George Jacob Jung, a.k.a. “El Americano,” a “cocaine kingpin,” his brother Roberto Escobar who also joined his drug smuggling business as the authorities hunted Escobar’s family which weren’t involved in his business.

In the book written by his own brother entitled, “The Accountant’s Story: Inside the Violent World of the Medellin Cartel,” Roberto Escobar discussed that a very simple man named Pablo Escobar rose to become “one of the richest men” in the world. Under this book, Roberto, being the Accountant of Pablo’s team, has recorded all the money under the cartel’s operation. He even stated here that there is a time when Medellin Cartel has smuggled 15 tons of cocaine daily to the American Market which is reaching the worth of over half a billion dollars, he and Pablo bought a rubber bands worth $1000 per week just to wrap all the cash bundles. And, what amazes the people more is the story that 10% of these money stored in their hideout was lost every year due to rats.

After he died, the Medellin cartel has also fallen. The cocaine market was became dominated by its rival Cali cartel until 1990’s when all of its leaders and collaborators were all killed or imprisoned by the authorities of the Colombian government. His ‘Robin Hood’ image was even venerated by Colombian locals, most especially the city poor whom Escobar helped while he was still alive. There are thousands of people who mourned for his death, as it was their loss. It is reported that an about 25,000 people attended his funeral.

Many say that “The end doesn’t justify the means.” If, for some odd reason, Pablo Escobar’s real political motivation in engaging into a very dangerous life is to liberate the poor and help them alleviate their lives from poverty, will his life be of inspiration for others? Or is it the other way around?